Chandigarh – The Election Commission of India has announced that a bypoll to fill the vacant Rajya Sabha seat from Punjab will be held on October 24. The counting of votes will also take place the same day.
The vacancy arose after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and industrialist-turned-politician Sanjeev Arora resigned from the Upper House earlier this year. His resignation, tendered following his election as Ludhiana West MLA, was accepted by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar with effect from July 1, 2025.
Arora had been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha in March 2022 when AAP swept the Punjab Assembly polls, securing a comfortable majority. His surprise entry into state politics through the Ludhiana West bypoll, where he defeated Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu, led him to step down from his parliamentary role.
With 92 seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly, AAP retains a decisive edge in the upcoming Rajya Sabha by-election. Political observers believe the contest is unlikely to pose a challenge for the ruling party, though attention remains on the choice of candidate, which could hint at AAP’s broader national strategy.
The bypoll on October 24 is expected to reaffirm AAP’s dominance in Punjab’s political landscape while also filling the vacancy that has kept the state underrepresented in the Rajya Sabha for the past few months.
